Golf club cover



Jan. 14, 1964 E. F. PIO 3,117,609

GOLF CLUB COVER Filed July 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 EL MO F. P/O

BY W M ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1964 E, F, P10 3,117,609

GOLF CLUB COVER Filed July 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 ELMO 1-7 P/O WMao ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,117,609 r GOLF CLUB COVER Elmo F.Pio, 8801 Hawthorne Lane, Philadelphia 18, Pa.

Filed July 25, 1952, Ser. No. 212,219 a 8 Claims. (Cl. 159-52) Thisinvention relates to means for protecting the ballstriking head of agolf club, and is particularly concerned with a new type of golf clubcover.

Certain types of golf clubs have ball-striking heads formed of a highlypolished material, normally wood, and in order to protect suchball-striking head from chipping of the finish thereon, it isconventional to utilize some type of protective cover which fits overtheballstriking head and prevents marring thereof.

Usually, a golfer carries within his golf bag a group of clubs havingcomparatively narrow striking he-ads with sloped forward faces, whichheads are conventionally formed of metal. This group of clubs is knownas the irons. The clubswhich have the highly polished striking heads areconventionally formed withthe heads of substantial width, and many suchclubs have a harder insert in the striking face thereof. These clubswith the wide heads are commonly known as the woods. When the irons andthe woods are carried in the same bag, the irons as well as other woods,have a tendency to engage and chip the surfaces of any given wood headunless the Wood head is protected, and thus golf club covers have metwith widespread use. i I 9 There are a multitude of different types ofgolf club covers presently available. Of the difierent types, thosewhich are formed more or less as a sockhave met with the most widespreadcommercial acceptance. This type of cover is made of a textile, knit, orleather material usually, and is removably placed over the club head bypulling the same thereon much in the same manner as a mitten is pulledonto the human hand, or a sock is pulled onto the human foot. Althoughthis type of cover is widely used, the same is subject to certainlimitations. First, by virtue of the inherent ty e of materials requiredto form such a cover inexpensively, the covers are easily torn, ripped,or otherwise mutilated; Secondly,; the materials which are suitable 'foruse in making a cover of the type question tend to absorb Water so thatthe same, in effect, provide little protection in the event the golferis caught in the rain, and often become mildewed because of the tendencyof golfers to store their clubs after use in a confined space, such asthe trunk of an automobile. Thirdly, the sock-type covers are relativelysoft and cannot therefore afford protection against any substantialimpact. Fourthly, the sock-type covers, by virtue of the type ofmaterials suitable for incorporation therein, tend to shrink uponbecoming wet, thus making removal difficult. Fifthly, even withoutshrinkage, diflioulty is encountered in removing sock-type covers, andtwo hands are most always required for a removal operation.

In apparentrecognition of the disadvantages of the sock-type covers,previous Workers in the art have suggested the provision of semi-rigidgolf club covers formed more or less as a casing which can be opened andclosed for purposes of locating the same over a golf club ballstrikinghead. These covers at least partially eliminated the disadvantages ofthe sock-type covers, but the previous suggestions in this regard havenecessitated the use an es Patented Jan. 14, 1964 of mechanical means inthe form of spring clamps and the like for maintaining the casing closedandrequire the availability of substantial room to permit any openingand closing operation. Moreover, by virtue of the very nature of thecasings themselves, substantial product-ion cost was encountered. Thus,the sock-type golf club covers,'notwi'thstanding theirdisadvantages,have dominated the commercial market. A

The present invention has as its primary object the provision of asend-rigid golf club cover whichis not subject to the disadvantages ofprevious suggestions with respect to the casing-type cover, and whichcan be inexpensively manufactured so as to be competitive with thesock-type golf club covers. More specifically, the'present invention hasas one of its main objects the provision of a golf cldbcover, .(a) whichcan be formed of a suitable material, e.g. rubber, wood, plastic,aluminum, or leather in at l'east'semi-rigid form soas to encase theball-striking head of a golf club and protect the same fro'm marring,chipping or the like, even under substantial impact as well as from rainor thelike, and (b) whichiis-durable in use and not subject to tearing,ripping, or easy mutilation. Another important main object hereof is toprovide a golf club cover which can easily be put on and taken off agolf club with the use of one hand. i

Still further, specific objects of the present invention in accordancewith the preferred embodiments hereof, are to provide a golf club' coverconforming with the'preceding objects: (1) Wherein'the-covercomprises'a'casing formed. by apairof mating sections hingedly securedtogether along the rear of thecasing-and a 'sirn'ple a'nd easilyoperated means, preferably in the form' of a strap for maintaining.the'sections in mating engagement and thereby in closing relation to agolf 'club ball-striking head; (2) wherein the golf club cover 'can beeasily position to hold these'ctions of the body'portion in closedrelation; (4) Where-in the hingeconnection'between the mating sectionsis preferably formed'e'ither' tot'ally orpartially integrally with themating sections, but cari be'otherwise provided; (5) wherein the coveris adapted to receive club heads of varying size and accommodate thesame in non-rattling engagement therein; and (6) wherein the golf clubcover conforms with the preceding causes, and yet is durable andtrouble-free with continued use. 7 The invention lies in thecombination, construction and arrangement of the component partsthereof, and will be better understood after reading the followingdetailed description of the preferred and illustrative embodimentpresented in the annexed drawing, wherein: V i '11 FIGURE 1 is a sideelevationalview, partially broken away, of a golf club coverconstructedinaccordance herewith; FIGURE 2 is a front view-showing thecover of Fit} URE 1 as the same would appear when the cover is openedforinsertion therein of a golf club striking head to be protected thereby;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmental detailed view taken on the line 3--3 of FIGURE1 and presenting a preferred flange construction incorporated in thegolf club cover of FI URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmental detailed view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2and showing the relationship between portions of the cover providedhereby on opposite sides of the flexible hinge connection providedtherein;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional fragmental view taken on the line 55of FIGURE 1 and showing the relationship of the parts of the shankportion of the cover provided hereby when the cover is in closedposition;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of a modified golf club coverconstructed in accordance herewith; and

FIGURE 7 is a side view, partially exploded, and presenting the matingsections of the cover shown in FIG- URE 6.

Any golf club includes a ball-striking head, a shank portion extendingupwardly from said head, and a shaft portion extending upwardly from theshank portion and terminating in a handle section to be gripped by thegolfer. Since this construction is so well-known and has beenconventional for over at least half a century, the following descriptionis based on a drawing showing the golf club cover provided here byitself.

Referring now more specifically to FIGURE 1, the golf club coverconstructed in accordance herewith is generally designated by thenumeral 2. This cover comprises a body portion adapted to encase thehead of the golf club and at least part of the immediately adjacentshank portion of the golf club. That part of the body portion which isadapted to overlie the striking head itself of a golf club is generallydesignated by the numeral 4, and that part of the body portion adaptedto encase the lower end of the club shaft and/or club shank and/orportion of the club shank is generally designated by the numeral 6.

The body portion itself comprises a pair of hollow sections 8 and 10,each of which conforms in contour, at least generally, to the contour ofthe head and shank portion of a golf club to be covered thereby. Theparticular construction shown in FIGURE 1 is adapted to cover a wood,whether the same be a driver, a spoon,.

a brassy, or any other wood. As should be apparent, each of the sections8 and 10 is adapted to overlie generally half of the club head and shankportion.

As shown in FIGURES 2. and 4 the sections 8 and 10 are hingedly joinedalong an axis AA extending at least generally parallel to the axis ofthe golf club shaft. This hinged joining along the axis AA (FIGURE 2)permits the lateral movement or spreading movement of the sections 8 and10 with respect to one another. the hollow construction of the sections8 and 1t and the lateral or spreading movement thereof, a golf club canbe placed with the cover 2 when the sections are spread as shown inFIGURE 2, and the sections can then be brought into the closed positionshown in FIGURE 1 so as to encase the underlying portions of the golfclub.

Preferably, the body portion of cover 2 comprises an integral one-piecemember or component formed of a semi-rigid or partially flexiblematerial. It has been found that polymers of suitable commercial typessuch as polyallomer, polypropylene, and the like can be used to form thebody portion, that suitably treated leather also permits obtaining thedesired construction and that rubber, alurninum and/ or wood or the likecan be used if desired. However, the preferred embodiment hereofcontemplates utilizing polypropylene, water-proofed leather as thematerial from which the body portion is formed. As should be known tothose experienced in the fabrication of articles such as that here underconsideration, the use of polypropylene permits rapid and mass moldingoperations, and the use of leather permits either a pressing operationor a commercial stitching operation, if desired.

Regardless of the material used, the body portion of cover 2, accordingto the preferred embodiment hereof, has an elongate section, such asthat designated by the By virtue of r numeral 12 in FIGURE 5, which isof reduced thickness with respect to the major part of the body portion.The elongate section 12, as shown in FIGURE 2 can extend entirely or inpart from the upper extremity of the body portion to the lower extremitythereof, but terminates in spaced relation to the base of the bodyportion so as to permit the spreading operation. Preferably, however,the elongate section 12 extends from the upper edge 14 to a point spacedfrom the bottom surfaces $1) and 10b of the sections 8 and 10 by adistance indicated in the drawing as d. a

In the specific embodiment described above, the elongate section 12 ofreduced thickness provides a flexible hinge. When the materialssuggested above are used to form the body portion, the flexibility isinherent in the construction. However, it is to be understood that whilean important aspect of the invention lies in providing a one-piececonstruction with a flexible hinging section, a multiple piece bodyportion incorporating hingedly joined sections in accordance herewithwould not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention.

In the particular embodiment illustrated, and described above, andfurther in accordance with the invention, the elongate flexible hingesection 12 is disposed at the rear, or what would normally be referredto as the rear of the golf club cover. The sections 8 and 10 extendforwardly of the hinge section, and the edge portions 8(e) and 10(e)thereof mate in contacting engagement in a plane extending through thegolf club head and shank portion of the golf club which is covered. Suchplane would pass perpendicular to the drawing and include the axis AA inFIGURE 2. The mating edge portions 8(e) and 10(e) as described, extendentirely about the free periphery of each of the sections 8 and 10, andthus there is a complete closing of the cover about the club with whichthe cover is used.

To facilitate continuous alignment between the sections of the cover,and to provide increased strength therefor, as well as more efficientsealing from rain in the part normally exposed to the rain, one of thesections, the section 8 as shown, carries a bottom flange 18 whichextends laterally below :and therebeyond. T he flange 18 is disposedcontinuously across the bottom face 16 of the section 8, and when thecover is closed, the projecting portion of the flange 18 extends inunderlying contacting relation with the adjacent edge portion of thebase face 20 of the other section 10. This disposition and closingrelation of the flange to the cooperating edges and surfaces is bestshown in FIGURE 3.

Notwithstanding the fact that the flange 18 is embodied within thepreferred construction, and may be molded integrally with the bodyportion itself when formed, such flange may be eliminated if desired andparticularly in instances where the wall thickness of the sections 8 and10 is quite small.

Having now described the basic construction of the body portion of thegolf club cover provided hereby, attention can be directed to the meansincorporated for securing the sections 8 and 10 in position with theedge portions 8(a) and 10(e) in contacting engagement. This means, asshown in FIGURE 1, preferably comprises a strap or bale 22. Oppositeends of the strap are connected to opposed sides of the sections 8 and10, one such connection being shown in FIGURE 1 and designated generallyby the numeral 24. This connection comprises a post generally designatedby the numeral 26 having an enlarged head which serves to maintain theend 23 of strap 22 between the enlarged head and the side of section 8.Of course, the end 23 of strap 22 is provided with a suitable aperturewhereby the shaft portion of post 26 serves as a pivot shaft. The post26 may be formed as a separate component which is attached in fixedposition by a rivet type procedure, or other suitable securingprocedure. Alternatively, the post can be molded inte Z3 gral with thebody portion, and the strap 22 thereafter fixed thereon. The strap canbe flexible whereby the portion thereof adjacent the aperture isspreadable for insertion over the enlarged head of post 26, or the strapcan be otherwise formed as'described more fully below.

Regardless of the particular post and strap construction, it should beunderstood that a suitable post is also provided on the sectioncorresponding to that included on section 8, and the bale or strapextends between the opposed posts and is preferably pivotally mountedwith respect thereto so as to be swingable through an arc from theposition shown in FIGURE 1 to the position shown in FIGURE 2. a

If reference is again made to FIGURE 1 it will be noted that the strap22 has a length and preferably'normal shape which permits thedisposition thereof adjacent the body portion 2 and across the frontface 23 thereof. In other words, the strap is dimensioned, in accordancewith the preferred embodiment, so as to be movable into lockingengagement across the front'of the cover to thereby maintain thesections 8 and 10 in closing en agement. For this purpose, the frontface 28 of the cover, formed by the respective front surfaces 27 and 29of thesections 3 and lit, is tapered inwardly toward the base faces8(1)) and 10%) of the sections, and thereby the base face of the coveritself. Due to the taper, the strap is movable upwardly from theposition shown in FlGURE 2 into contact with the face 28, and furtherupward contact causes pressure to be exerted by the strap on opposedsides of the cover thereby maintaining the sections thereof with themating edges in abutting contact.

To releasably lock the strap 22 in place in the closed position of thecover, the forward face 28 of the cover is provided with a series ofgenerally horizontally extending projecting ribs and/or grooves 39. Theribs or grooves provide adjustment position locks for the strapi.e. eachprojection serves to maintain the strap tightly in place and/orthereabove. 1

With the provision of a strap and ribs as described above, a user needmerely grasp the strap, for example, with a finger of one hand whileplacing the thumb of the same hand at the base of the axis A-A, and thenexert an upward force on the strap with such finger to cause the coverto immediately open with disengagement of the strap from the ribs.Alternatively, the user may grasp the strap with the thumb of one hand,and place a finger at the base of the axis AA to open the cover throughdisengagement of the strap with the ribs by virtue of the force exertedon the strap by the thumb. It should thus be apparent that the coverprovided hereby can be easily and immediately removed from a golf club,or even placed thereon, by one hand and in a minimum of time and space.

The embodiment of the invention referred to in d..- tail in thepreceding paragraphs constitutes the preferred embodiment hereof.However, certain structural characteristics, features and elements ofthe embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 may be incorporated in thepreferred embodiment, if desired, as will be understood from thefollowing description of the modified embodiment of FIGURES 6 and 7.

In these latter mentioned figures, prime numerals have been used todesignate components of the modified embodiment corresponding tocomponents of the preferred embodiment. Thus, in FIGURES 6 and 7 thecover is designated generally by the numeral 2 and is shown ascomprising a pair of hollow sections 8 and 10'. The sections 8' and it),however, are not joined by an integral elongate section 12 of reducedthickness, but instead are hingedly joined along the rear axis of thecover by mating hinge elements 4%) and 42 carried respectively by thesections 8 and It), and cooperating with a hinge pin 44. The hingeelements 40 and 42 project beyond the rear edges 46 and 48 respectivelyof the sections 8' and lit, and the hinge elements 42 are spaced apartby a distance equal to the length of the hinge elements 40. Moreover,the hinge elements 42 start in spaced relation to the upper edge 49 ofthe section It) by a distance D equal to the length L of the hingeelements 40. Preferably the hinge elements 42 have a length equal to thelength of the hinge elements 40, so that thespacing is the same whetherthe hinge elements or the hinge elements 42 be used for comparison. 7 v

Each of the hinge elements 40 and 42, as shown in FIGURE 7, comprises anupper section 50 and a lower section 52. As shown in FIGURE 6, the lowersection 52 is laterally offset with respect to the upper section 50, outeach section is provided with a generally semicircular reccss extendinglongitudinally thereof, such recesses being designated by 54a and 54brespectively in FIGURE 7.

The recesses 54a and 54b in eachhinge element are in opposed alignedrelation, and the recesses in all of the hinge elements 42 are alignedwith one another. Similarly, the recesses in all of the'hinge elements40 are aligned with one another, and all of the recesses are sopositioned as to provide an elongate channel when the hinge elementsmate with one another. Such channel receives the elongate hinge pin orrod 44. With the pin in position, as shown in FIGURE 6, the'sec tions 8and 1t) are'hingedly joined to one another for movement in the samemanner as the sections 8 and 16 of the embodiment of FIGURE 1.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the hingeconstruction of the embodiments of FIGURES 6 and 7 facilitates moldingof the hinge elements'integrally'with the sections 8' and It) of thecover '2. Moreover, it will be apparent that the hinge construction ofFIGURES 6 and 7 is durable in use and inexpensively incorporated. t

A further modification'provided hereby concerns the disposition andconstruction of a modified form of flange 13. In FIGURES 6 and 7,a'projecting flange 18' is shown. This flange not only extends inunderlying contacting relation to the adjacent edge portion'of the baseface 20' of the section It) when the cover is in use, but also extendsin overlying contacting relation with the forward face 56 of the sectionit) of the cover. Moreover, that portion of the flange '18 designated byI'lllnP eral 58 and extending upwardly along the forward face 60 ofsection 3', and projecting therebeyond laterally, carries or has formedtherein a series of ribs-62. These ribs correspond to theribs 300i"the'embodiment of FIGURE 1, but instead of being formed on the for-'ward face of the sections providin the cover, the ribs are formedsolely in the extension of the flange"; 18'. These ribs, cooperate withthe strap 22' in'the same manner as the ribs 30 cooperate with thestrap22.

In addition to the above, for convenience, in the embodiments of FIGURES6 and 7, the section 10' carries an eye 64 at the upper end of theforward face 56, the eye being spaced from the free edge of face 56 topermit the upper end of flange 13' to move in overlying engagement withthe face 56. The eye 64 is'adapted to receive the normal coupling cordwhich is convenionally used to couple a series of club covers togetherso that any one cover hangs down from the others when the one cover isnot disposed on its associated club.

Still further, in the embodiment of FIGURE 7, a series of hair-likeprojections 66 are disposed adjacent the tee edges of the respectivesections 8' and 1d. The projections 66 extend inwardly of the sections,and arereadily flexible. The number of projections can be varied, as canthe location thereof, and the disposition of the projections shown inFIGURE 7 is but exemplary. The projections may not exist along one edge,or along several edges, or they may be disposed over a substantial partof the interior of each section, or otherwise placed. The projections 66engage a club head disposed within the cover 2', and being flexible,readily permit the cover to accommodate club heads of differing size innonrattling relation. In other words, the projections provide more orless of an automatic adjustment for club size, and thus the number andlocation of the projections can be varied so long as the function isachieved. Of course, the projections 66 can be molded integrally withthe sections 8' and 10' or otherwise suitably incorporated in any coverconstructed in accordance herewith.

In the preceding discussion, it has been assumed that the strap 22 or 22is pivotally secured to opposite sides of the cover, and that the strapis flexible. It is to be understood that the strap can be formed ofplastic, rubber, spring-type wire, or other suitable bale material.Moreover, the posts 26 and 26 can take forms other than that describedwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Sincevarious pivoting means are well known, modifications in this regard neednot be explained further. Of course, for certain embodiments orapplications, a readily detachable strap or bale may prove preferable ora permanently pivotally attached strap or bale may yield some advantage,and the invention contemplates use of such variations with the basicstructure hereof.

Where the pivoted strap posts are placed, however, is important, and tounderstand the preferred disposition of the posts in this respect,attention is again directed to FIGURE 7. By reference to this figure, itwill be noted that the forward faces 56 and 58 of the sections 8 and10', and the co-extensive portion 58 of the flange 18' are convexlycurved. The curvature of these elements or faces or portions isgenerally the same due to the mating engagement, and thus the radius ofcurvature of the forward faces and/or portion 58 of flange 13' canschematically be displayed as by the line 72. The are trav ersed by thestrap 22 or 22 can similarly be schematically designated as by the arcline 79. The radius of the are 70 is designated by line 74. It will benoted that with the are having less radius than the curvature'of theforward faces or overlying flange portion, and with the outward taper ofthe forward faces and overlying flange portion, the arc of the strapextends from outside the radius 72 across the arc which would begenerated by such radius. As a result, movement of the strap toengagement with the ribs 39 or 62 causes a tightening of the strapagainst the ribs, and accordingly positive locking of the cover providedhereby in the closed position.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it should be apparentthat the cover provided hereby achieves the objects set forth at theoutset of the instant specification, accordingly, what is claimed is:

1. For use with a golf club having a ball-striking head, a shank portionextending upwardly from said head, and a shaft extending upwardly fromthe shank portion, a golf club cover comprising a body portion adaptedto encase the head and at least part of the immediately adjacent shankportion or the golf club, the front of said body portion being taperedtoward the base of said body portion and provided with rib projections,said body portion comprising a pair of hollow sections conforming incontour at least generally to the contour of said head and shankportion, said sections being hingedly joined at the rear of said bodyportion along an axis extending at least generally parallel to the axisof the golf club shaft for lateral movement with respect to one anotherto open said cover, said sections having mating edge portions movableinto contacting engagement in a plane extending through said head andshank portion, a strap for securing said sections in position with saidedge portions in contacting engagement, and means for connectingopposite ends of said strap to dilferent of said sections whereby saidstrap is movable into releasably locking engagement with said ribprojections.

2. A golf club cover as defined in claim 1 wherein said body portioncomprises an integral one-piece member having an elongate section ofreduced thickness from the major portion of said body portion hingedlyjoining said sections.

3. A golf club cover as defined in claim 2 wherein said elongate sectionextends continuously along said axis between the lower and upperextremities of said body portion.

4. A golf club cover as defined in claim 1 wherein said sections arehingedly joined by a flexible connection extending along said axis.

5. A golf club cover as defined in claim 1 wherein said sections carrymating hinge elements projecting respectively from opposite of saidsections about said axis, said hinge elements having aligned recessestherein defining an elongate channel, and wherein a rod member isdisposed in said channel, said hinge elements and rod member hingedlyjoining said sections.

6. For use with a golf club having a ball-striking head, a shank portionextending upwardly from said head, and a shaft extending upwardly fromthe shank portion, a golf club cover comprising a body portion adaptedto encase the head and at least part of the immediately adjacent shankportion of the golf club, said body portion comprising a pair of hollowsections comforming in contour at least generally to the contour of saidhead and shank portion, said sections being hingedly joined along anaxis extending at least generally parallel to the axis of the golf clubshaft for lateral movement with respect to one another to open saidcover, said sections having mating edge portions movable into contactingengagement in a plane extending through said head and shank portion, thebase edge of one of said sections carrying a flange extending laterallytherebelow and therebeyond, said flange being disposed in underlyingcontacting relation to the adjacent edge portion of the other of saidsections when the edges of said sections are in contacting relation,said flange also extending across the mating edge portion of saidsections opposite the edge portions thereof Where said sections arehingedly joined, said flange carrying ribs thereon extending inoverlying relation to said last mentioned mating edge portions, strapmeans for securing said sections in position, and means for connectingopposite ends of said strap to different of said sections whereby saidstrap is movable into releasably locking engagement with said ribs.

7. For use with a golf club having a ball-striking head, a shank portionextending upwardly from said head, and a shaft extending upwardly fromthe shank portion, a golf club cover comprising a body portion adaptedto encase the head and at least part of the immediately adjacent shankportion of the golf club, said body portion comprising a pair of hollowsections conforming in contour at least generally to the contour of saidhead and shank portion, said sections being hingedly joined along anaxis extending at least generally parallel to the axis of the golf clubshaft for lateral movement with respect to one another to open saidcover, said sections having mating edge portions movable into contactingengagement in a plane extending through said head and shank portion,projections extending inwardly of said hollow sections, said projectionsbeing flexible whereby said cover is adapted to accommodate and gripgolf club heads of varying size and shape, and means for securing saidsections in position with said edge portions in contacting engagement.

8. For use with a golf club having a ball-striking head, a shank portionextending upwardly from said head, and a shaft extending upwardly fromthe shank portion, a golf club cover comprising a body portion adaptedto encase the head and at least part of the immediately adjacent shankportion of the golf club, said body portion comprising a pair of hollowsections conforming in contour at least generally to the contour of saidhead and shank portion, said sections being hingedly joined along anaxis extending at least generally parallel to the axis or" the golf clubshaft for lateral movement with respect to one another to open saidcover, said sections having mating edge portions movable into contactingengagement in a plane extending through said head and shank portion, thebase edge of one of said sections carrying a flange extending laterallytherehelow and therebeyond, said flange being disposed in underlyingcontacting relation to the adjacent edge portion of the other of saidsections when the edges of said sections are in contacting relation andstrap means for securing said sections in position with said edgeportions in contacting engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,231,915 Lamb July 3, 1917 2,705,039 Halter Mar. 29, 1955 2,796,190Tupper June 18, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,153 France Feb. 6, 1923

1. FOR USE WITH A GOLF CLUB HAVING A BALL-STRIKING HEAD, A SHANK PORTIONEXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID HEAD, AND A SHAFT EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROMTHE SHANK PORTION, A GOLF CLUB COVER COMPRISING A BODY PORTION ADAPTEDTO ENCASE THE HEAD AND AT LEAST PART OF THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SHANKPORTION OR THE GOLF CLUB, THE FRONT OF SAID BODY PORTION BEING TAPEREDTOWARD THE BASE OF SAID BODY PORTION AND PROVIDED WITH RIB PROJECTIONS,SAID BODY PORTION COMPRISING A PAIR OF HOLLOW SECTIONS CONFORMING INCONTOUR AT LEAST GENERALLY TO THE CONTOUR OF SAID HEAD AND SHANKPORTION, SAID SECTIONS BEING HINGEDLY JOINED AT THE REAR OF SAID BODYPORTION ALONG AN AXIS EXTENDING AT LEAST GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXISOF THE GULF CLUB SHAFT FOR LATERAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHERTO OPEN SAID COVER, SAID SECTIONS HAVING MATING EDGE PORTIONS MOVABLEINTO CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT IN A PLANE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HEAD ANDSHANK PORTION, A STRAP FOR SECURING SAID SECTIONS IN POSITION WITH SAIDEDGE PORTIONS IN CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTINGOPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID STRAP TO DIFFERENT OF SAID SECTIONS WHEREBY SAIDSTRAP IS MOVABLE INTO RELEASABLY LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RIBPROJECTIONS.